Atkins rebrand

Interesting thanks Susie

Talking of SW (well it was mentioned in the article:) ), i was sitting opposite a lady at dinner last night who runs some SW groups. She had lost 9st over 3 years which was impressive. However, you could see that she really didnt believe atkins could work (whereas im more of a find what works for you person).

However lets look at the food:
Sw - some olives to start, a small looking plate of couscous salad, 1 glass champagne
Atkins- french coarse pate and gerkins(not the bread lol), large beautifully cooked steak and salad, rather a lot of champagne and wine
I'm sold:D
 
Thanks, Suzie! It is interesting and I do fear that the price of Atkins products will put some people off but then those are optional, after all. We don't NEED them in the strict sense. We just love goodies lol.

I would be happy to see an Atkins shop on my high street. Definitely. And I agree, the end of the article is very irritating!
 
Years back, some may remember, many clone diets of Atkins used to appear very regularly. One was The Drinking Man's Diet, which was basically Atkins with extra wine. Another was The Wine Lover's Diet - again, Atkins with extra wine.

And so on, and so on. Of course if you can have pate and wine and other treats you are not going to lose the way you would on a VLCD. Sometimes I get annoyed at the damage some people suffer trying these TFR plans then finding that they just cannot stick to them.

So they try the next logical alternative - low carb with regular food. But because you can eat this yummy food you don't generally lose 11 pounds in your first week unless you are very heavy to start with, and/or have only just started low-carbing after eating a diet crammed with carbs. They get furiously impatient with Atkins, chuck it all in and go back to the VLCD. Then to SW. Then to WW. Then back to Atkins. Then back to the VLCD. Then to SW...

I truly believe from my own experience and that of countless others - for maintenance, alone, Atkins cannot be beaten. For weight loss too, if living on foodpacks and bars and water just doesn't work for you. But we all need to learn patience. And true acceptance of ourselves, of scientific body realities, and of the importance of our emotional and psychological health. These things are only understood over time - not overnight or in a matter of weeks.

Above all we need to learn to eat without being overcome with crushing guilt. That, for me, was the really hard part.
 
Last edited:
Hi GG
Nice post:D. I think you are right - the key is just because you can have great meals and really enjoy food doesnt mean that you should every day - there is a reality to this. Having said that - learning to treat fat as a friend that makes you feel good, full and happy is the big lesson i think
Xx
 
Yes Katie you are so right. And after years or even decades of eating more expensive low fat everything (ewww much of the time and they add sugar to compensate) and counting literally every single calorie that goes in your mouth eating fat in ORDER to lose weight is a tough one to get your head around!

Atkins has changed a lot and the focus now is on the healthier 'good' fats. Oils, particularly quality nut oils and coconut oil (which I love). More veggies, lots more. As you say we 'can' have those treats but not every day. Dr Atkins himself said the key to success is sticking to moderate portions, absolutely NOT gorging.

VLCDs are fab IF they suit your body and IF you can stick to them without being miserable. Even so I have yet to meet even one person who kept the weight off very long term without at least committing to some form of carb restriction during maintenance. Most go to SW or WW then fall apart when the first couple of weeks understandably makes them regain. After 500 calories a day for months on end that is definitely gonna happen. But they panic and run back to the VLCD, over and over.

Guilt. Guilt over eating, over even wanting to eat, ANY food at all but particularly the 'bad' foods, the 'naughty' ones etc, ruled my life for way too long. Food is not synful. It is not evil. It is simply inert, a load of ingredients cobbled together in ways that are pleasing to the eye and tastebuds. We HAVE to eat to live! But I for one very often tried to live on fresh air and the occasional salad so as to avoid that horrible, gut-wrenching guilt.

Now I can eat. Every day! Yummy food, too. To me that is a total miracle.
 
Last edited:
I've just starred Atkins and i love the fact that I feel free from obsessing about every single calorie and the calorie content of this and that! It's so nice to eat something and think wow that was a great meal without stressing ofer the fat and calorie content!

This way of eating definitely sets you free!!!
 
Last edited:
It sure does, and that freedom is wonderful. It may take longer to lose the weight but you are also learning to maintain as you go along.
 
Well said girlygirl! I for one have just discovered am a VLCD addict, yet lately am really struggling to cope with no food and switching over to Atkins for a short while made me so happy. I was happy I wasn`t hungry and was eating with my family at meal times. I got impatient that my weight did not shift as much as on the VLCD, so I ditched Atkins. I have just realised that I lost inches and my clothes are loose now and some too big :D. Am scared of failing and putting the weight back on and so now its a vicious circle. My OH keeps encouraging me to go back on atkins coz he knows how much i enjoyed it. l love meat!

The problem with a lot of us when we see full fat anything, we think we shouldn`t touch it. Like others have said, we all need to find the one diet that suits us and for me its atkins. I bought 2 weeks worth of VLCD stuff so that l can try one last time and though i havent cheated l don`t think l can do it till goal. It works but sometimes its good to be kind to yourself and let go. I know l`ll be back to atkins, I just need to be kind to myself and be proud of my loss so far. x x
 
Thanks ladyf! Am making chicken, bacon and chesse melt with potatoes for the family now and I just want it so bad :cry:. I`ll do some soul searching and make up my mind about this once and for all lol x x
 
At least on Atkins you can eat - I know I don't have it in me to do the shakes/soup thing! :D

Good luck on whatever you decide :)
 
Back
Top